The Exit 270

June 11, 2013 Faces of Exit 270

I think one of the characteristics or ambiance of a place is the people who inhabit the space you are in –recording these inhabitants and their surroundings is commonly called “street photography”.  While the camera and its size sometimes help in letting you shoot unnoticed –it is still up to the photographer to choose his subjects carefully.  My images, the faces of Exit 270, are a form of street portraits and I hope I have treated their images respectfully.   

While the camera and its size sometimes help in allowing you freedom of movement –it is still your eyes that pick and choose the subject.  The key is to work quickly which means many of your camera settings have been predetermined.   Most photographers shoot from a distance or a stealth approach to their subjects, but I try to move right in close and hope my subject is tolerant of my invasion of space.  The camera I use the most for this photographic invasion is the Sony Nex7 –is it light and responsive to this type of shooting.  The 18-35mm zoom lens gives me enough latitude to move in and out of my subject’s area.

Street photography is considered legal in most cities – there has been a case in New York City where a photographer is being sued for exhibiting his neighbor’s apartment window shots in a gallery.  The first Amendment is supposed to protect a photographer’s freedom of expression –however, it is wise to respect the privacy of the individual and the circumstance’s you are photographing them under.  I have found that if you ask permission, people are usually agreeable.   However, in some cases it is impossible to elicit this permission in advance and the exhibiting of these images should be considered carefully.